Overcoming Fear: Readers Respond

Feature by

Recently we highlighted a post by Allison K. Williams at Brevity, in which she shares how she responds to fear, rejection, and “failure” as an artist, using falling at acrobat practice as a beautiful metaphor for dealing with them as a writer.

We asked readers how they persevere in the face of failure or rejection. Here are some samples of their wisdom.

Ready for a custom domain, advanced design options, and other blog enhancements? There’s a WordPress.com plan that’s right for you.

I think everyone in a creative field should see failures as a stepping stone for their pursued goals. And never forget why we do what we do.

— IKER

Every time, Failure is a word I strive to outsmart. I teach my children failures are lessons learned, and they don’t define you unless you let them.

— MEMOIRS OF A LOVING MOM

I like to believe that failure is part of success. Without failure first we can never truly know success. Use failure as motivation and never give up. Fear is the enemy of success.

— MICK25117

For me, fear of rejection is wayyy secondary to fear of not getting to the point of being rejected at all.

— F.M. Richter

Enjoyed this post? Read more from the Inspiration category.

 

88 Comments

  2. Fear has two meanings, “forget everything and run, or face everything and rise.” I personally love to get out of my comfort zone. For example if I am nervous to talk to someone and force myself to say hi, it is a victory for me. No matter how it turns out I am proud that I got out of my comfort zone, felt scared and did it anyway. That is the only way to grow, to do it even though you know you are scared.

    Liked by 8 people

  4. Fear is always at the back of our mind. if you encourage it you can never be moved from where you are. i must say….Conquer and Persevere to achieve greatness and success

    Liked by 6 people

  6. I’m not sure that ‘fear’ is the word – at least not for me – I’ve been writing novels now for 10 years and none are published – according to agents, all for various ‘good’ reasons – finally I’ve decided I’m ‘fed up’ with trying to please others – if what I’ve written isn’t last year’s best-seller, then it will just stay put in my desk drawer. This says more about the taste of others than my own – besides, I’ve made my money in other ways.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Fear of rejection. The bane of every artist’s craft. You try, you edit, try some more. Post your new baby up for the world to admire, and bang! Someone, there’s always one! Reject on how badly you write, compose, draw etc. Grin and bear it. Improve where you can, and stay sane.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Dealing with fear is not only important for your creative work but your life as a whole. I work on making sure weather I feel fear or not that i do not allow it to make my decisions for me. Fear paralyses, and that is all one need to know to push on exactly at the point that it is manifest! Writers have a need to write and beyond this any lofty ideal is separate from that drive to write, failure is not an issue once you start to write, fear can’t stop you from writing and expressing your thoughts…….

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Failure is indispensable. Every time you try something new, you are gonna encounter veterans in the field who have been doing the same thing for years. And you’re gonna fail. You are definitely gonna fail. But why does failure always have to be such a negative thing ? Sometimes it is the best thing that can happen to a person. It can lead you something bigger, something better. It can teach you things you would never have learned from those books you read. It can lead you to self scrutiny and groom you to be better after you’ve failed so that your next failure will not as harsh as your former failure untill one day you win. And believe me, with perseverance, one day you do win!

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Fear has always been an issue for me. Even today I deal with day to day fear and anxiety. I think that’s what motivated me the create The Red Letter. I wanted to express my struggles with fear and how it impacts my day.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Fear doesn’t go away but you have tot learn to keep it in place. You can’t control what people say or do. All we can do is chose to respond in a positive way and that is difficult at times.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Failure is an entry into learning how to do it better. It really doesn’t come off as pleasant however with help from mentors who have gone through the same path, one may recover quickly from it.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. When my first book was published, my stomach was in complete knots. I was so nervous people would hate it or dislike me – I got to the point where I regretted even agreeing to publish my work. Now, many months later, I’m so glad I did. I’m glad my fears didn’t hold me back – I really do believe that fear is a stepping stone, and to feel a little bit of fear means you’re doing something worthwhile!

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Failure was made for encouragement not for discouragement. For me it is a test for yourself were everyone can judge you and it’s your only choice if you’re going to continue or just stop.

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.